The R107 300sl, and why it should be considered as an iconic GT

The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was first introduced to the world with the incredible 300sl gullwing in 1954. It was based on the companies endurance race car the W194, and shared a lot of it's racing pedigree. Thus the gullwing was the fastest production car of it's time with an incredible 263 km/h (163 mph) top speed thanks too a great sounding 3-litre straight-6.

A couple decades later the SL-Class wasn't the sports car it used to be. The R107 that came out in 1971, wasn't trying to be a road legal race car anymore. Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott made a very good video about that and I agree with them, the SL forgot it's roots. It's not a sports car, and it's not light like the SL name suggests, but it became a fantastic Grand Tourer instead. Mercedes wasn't advertising the SL as a race-car anymore either during the R107s production, they called it a "coupe roadster".  

In 1988 my grandfather bought in England this exact 300sl. He added a custom licence plate with his initials : 6RK. After his death, my father inherited it. Having it in our family since the age of 8, is one of the main reasons why I'm a car-guy. Along side the movie "Cars" and a PS2 game called "Paris Marseille".

I had the pleasure of driving this car for the first time on my 18th birthday, on a beautiful highway in the canyons of southern California. 
I had a blast. Besides the emotional attachment to this car, I genuinely think this is a fantastic automobile. It feels predictable in the corners, and it wants you to power out the apex. The rear-end squats when applying heavy throttle, which makes you feel faster than you actually are. 

I haven't driven it's V8 counterparts, but I have been told that because the 300sl has a straight 6 it's not as nose-heavy, and thanks to that, handles better. 

The sound track was great. Mercedes did a fantastic job finding the perfect balance between not annoyingly loud to fit it's Luxurious standard, but loud enough to please the car-guys ears. 
I feel the same way about the sound than I do about the looks. It's a fantastic car to look at, a perfect balance of sport, luxury, elegance : all in one. 

My father used to take my little sister and I on road trips in this car. Every summer we'd drive from the French Alps, to the south of France, driving through Italy. The 300sl would do it with ease, at highway speeds for hours in a pristine level of comfort. I read a review of this car from an old magazine published in 1985, and I think the man who wrote the article explained the ride quality beautifully. He said "it's so smooth, I had to question whether or not the wheels where actually touching the road.". And that's exactly how it feels, it's so smooth it might as well be flying. 

At the end of the day it's my grandpa's car. The car my dad, my sister and I used to road trip to the south of France every summer with. And the car I had on my phone wallpaper when I was a teenager. I'm biased, but when it comes down to this question : is the R107 Mercedes a good GT ? Well, yes, this is a fantastic example of a perfect Grand Tourer, and the world should know. 

Max,